One of the most addictive and unique retro 2 player games was Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters. The comic-style narrative was unlike anything else I had ever played and I remember the game being that much more maturer than most.
Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters used a unique isometric view that was perfect at both surrounding the player in a futuristic world and creating fast and fun gameplay (although pretty unforgiving at times due to the game having loyal arcade ports).
Comic book story progression and a unique perspective gave Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters the edge over many other 2 player games
Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters put you in the vest of an interplanetary SWAT duo, that have been assigned the mission of rescuing hostages kidnapped on Planet X. Evil aliens (Reptilons) have invaded Planet X and have turned all humans into slaves. Their new purpose – to build the ultimate robotic army!
Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters had several loyal ports but the Atari ST version will always stand-out with its music
Personally, my best version of Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters was for the Atari ST. While both the ST and Amiga versions were fantastic arcade ports, the Atari ST version had better music which perfectly suited the games B movie, futuristic design.
During these fast-paced levels (with the good, old arcade difficulty still intact) you would rescue hostages, find hidden health in lockers, power-up your ray gun by collecting gems and access new areas via escalators.
The Atari ST and Amiga versions offered great graphics that really helped deliver the arcade experience to the home computer. Something very rare back then
It’s time to kick robo ass and look cool in shades…and I’m all out of shades…
Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters was released in 1989. One member of the SWAT team (player 2) was called ‘Duke’ and had slick, blond hair. Most of the hostages you rescue were actually scantilly clad women in blue underwear…kidnapped by aliens. Sound familiar? (the original Duke Nukem wasn’t released until 1991).
Don’t worry earth babes, no one steals Duke’s chicks and lives! Wait, hang on…
Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters is one of those classics you wish had a cartridge release on a 16-bit system. To me, it’s easily right up there with Zombies Ate My Neighbors (the uncut US version). A PSN, XBL or iOS/Android remake would be fantastic (although falling off level edges would have to be taken out on touch screen platforms).
What do you think? Should Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters be a straight port, undergo other tweaks here and there and what platforms would you like to see it on? Hit the comments and let us know!
